Microsoft has started cracking down on some of the serious offenders and hackers who tamper with their profiles by cheating on the online network for the popular gaming console Xbox 360.
Players who had cheated and illegally increased their gamer score and achievements list on their profiles on Xbox Live had their scores reset to zero and are also set to be publicly humiliated as their profiles will now label them as ‘cheaters’.
Microsoft has also said that if players are found to be cheaters and their gamer score and achievement are reset, they might never be able to earn scores on their profile again and they could have their account banned from Xbox Live forever.
Last year, Microsoft had promised it would punish those caught inflating their scores when Xbox Live programming director, Larry Hryb under the name Major Nelson addressed those who alter their scores, warning them about potential consequences.
Hryb had warned in a blog post “If you decide to employ some nefarious techniques to artificially increase gamer score, or obtain achievements by manipulating the Xbox software without playing the game, bad things will happen.”
Microsoft also warned its Xbox users not to share account details with other gamers who promise to increase their Scores illegally or help them advance through the game levels.
Xbox Live is the online network of the Xbox 360 where gamers build their profiles set, with their game score and achievements list by playing Xbox 360 games and completing a set of objectives.
This online network is extremely popular among gamers who compete with other genuine gamers to build their high scores and achievements and outdo others.
However, some players hack into the Xbox Live system and set their game score and achievements list to unrealistic values, thus, bringing themselves to the top of the leader board.
The ‘cheaters’ do so by tampering with the saved files, account information, and thus boast around of their achievements without even playing the game.
Genuine competitive gamers have long since complained about these hackers. The players who have achieved High Scores by actually playing the games and achieving the objectives languished at ranks below the cheaters.
The crackdown on the cheaters should bring a big cheer from true gamers and Xbox lovers and will hopefully, be a good lesson learnt for the hackers who will with any bit of common sense refrain from such activities in the future.
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